I. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to housings for acoustical components and, more particularly, to a molded housing with an integral acoustic chamber and anti-rattle printed circuit board supports.
II. Discussion
Housing devices for use in containing electrical acoustic members such as transducers and sound generators have been used for a number of years. The objective of most housing devices is to enhance the decibel level of the sound wave output. One approach has been to modify the structure of the housing in an attempt to invert the negative portion of the sound wave into a positive to add to the decibel level. Thus, housings have been formed to include modified maze-like wall structures to purposefully redirect the sound waves generated within the housing. It is believed however that such maze-like structures are unnecessarily complicated and generally more difficult to produce.
Another approach has been to experiment with the materials from which the housings are made. In general, it is highly desirable that the material used to manufacture such housings be highly reflective of the sound waves generated therein to accentuate the bounce effect within the housing. In this regard, most housings have been manufactured incorporating metallic plates coated with various materials to reduce the absorption of sound waves into the housing structure. A major problem, however, with utilizing metal based structures is that such structures tend to add to the weight of the structure thus making it difficult to transport them in large quantities.
Still other approaches have included modifying the sound generator to produce the required decibel levels at the desired frequencies. This approach, perhaps more so than others, can be unduly costly in that specialty equipment not as readily available commercially is required.